This invention relates to a dust or dirt gathering apparatus and more particularly a long-handled dust pan for household cleaning.
Dust pans of numerous shapes and sizes are known in the art. Numerous attempts have been made to provide a dust pan which could be used by a person who is standing up; therefore eliminating the need to bend over. This is particularly important to the elderly user. In addition to providing a long handle, the ability to release the pan portion to a vertically downwards position in order to remove the contents is also a desirable characteristic. The ability to release the pan while the operator remains in the upright position is a further desirable feature.
Prior art self-dumping long-handled dust pans such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 473,004, 774,994 and 1,169,939 have three disadvantages. These are complex construction, excessive weight and bulk, and high cost. The present invention overcomes these difficulties by providing a simple, effective, lightweight dust pan which is inexpensive to produce.